the length of our journey (is questionable)
by tvkeshi
Summary: Maybe it was odd that in the twenty some odd years they had known each other – and slept with each other and practically lived with each other – Lorne had not once asked Renato why he stayed. Demi!Verde/Aro!Reborn Prequel to KTG


"You've been staring at me all evening."

"Maybe I'm not used to seeing you in a suit," they both knew the statement to be absurd.

"Oh?" Lorne could feel Sinclair undressing him with his eyes. "Shouldn't I be saying that to you, _Mr. Scott_?" Sinclair purred and stepped closer.

Lorne raised an eyebrow and gave Sinclair an unimpressed look.

Social functions were the bane of his existence and made a point to avoid them at all costs. However, Luce had asked him directly to attend in her usual way of making it sound like he had a choice when he knew there would be hell to pay if he didn't comply.

Needless to say, he picked himself up, shaved he face, replaced his t-shirt for an oxford, and his lab coat for a duster.

The pride in Luce's eyes when she saw him was almost worth the effort. Almost.

"I suppose you do clean up nicely, Sinclair," he crossed his arms and they pressed against Sinclair's chest. He knew where this was going and while he wouldn't stop it, he wasn't going to roll over.

The man chuckled lowly, "I'm surprised Luce was able to coerce you into attendance."

"I assure you, I would rather be elsewhere," his glare held no heat.

"It wasn't a criticism. Besides," his voice lowered to a whisper, "I would rather be elsewhere as well."

Lorne's eyes darted left at the sign of movement while Sinclair was unaffected – meaning it wasn't a threat.

His eyes met Fon's and the man raised an eyebrow and gave an amused smirk.

"Problem?" Sinclair murmured his hands on Lorne's sides under his duster.

Lorne retuned his gaze to the man before him. "No, but you're in my personal space."

Sinclair stepped back as if he were burned, his hands instantly returning to his sides.

"Sorry, I had thought…" the man looked incredibly guilty and Lorne was nearly endeared by the unexpected sincerity.

"I didn't say _I_ minded, buy Luce –" before he could finish Sinclair's hands were back on him as he kissed him.

"Shall we get out of here?" Sinclair asked as their breaths mingled.

"I doubt Luce would –" Lorne did not fancy being on the other side of one of their Sky's lectures.

Sinclair scoffed, "Please, Luce is probably over by the champagne gossiping with Fon. At this point she's probably waiting for us to leave.

"Besides," his pupils were dilated Lorne noted absently, "you don't want to be here either, right?"

They had been acquaintances since shortly after the formation of their group – they were friendly but they weren't quite a Famiglia yet. Sinclair had followed him back to his lab one day and proceeded to engage him in a discussion on theoretical physics.

And then the man just never went away.

As they snuck out the back of the ballroom, he realized for the first time that Sinclair was the only person he had ever been attracted to, not that it mattered. He would never act on a flight of fancy.

But, if Sinclair wanted to have sex he wouldn't complain. The man was probably looking for a good time with someone he could trust not to kill him in his sleep.

 **….**

Sinclair always had a weapon on him, usually a gun or, occasionally, two. This was something Lorne had learned early on into their arrangement. And even when he was relaxed, he always had a weapon in reach even if it wasn't in sight.

Lorne didn't quite understand his paranoia.

He figured if someone wanted to kill him, they might as well. He was a weapons developer not a fighter.

He voiced this to Sinclair one day while sitting at the man's counter watching him cook.

Sinclair had set down his knife and looked at him with an oddly troubled expression and a shake of his head.

They had kept up their arrangement for nearly 14 months by that time and Lorne had grown accustom to Sinclair's bizarre traits. One of which being his apparent problem with Lorne's disregard for his sown life.

 **…**

Then, they were cursed and Luce died in child birth shortly after.

The death of their Sky shattered them more than the curse and Aria was much too young and much too weak to support the bonds passed on from her mother and thus, they scattered to the four winds.

Lorne didn't speak to another member of their Familgia – for that's what they were, they had been through too much not to be – until shortly after he arrived in Kokuyo when they began to clutter his doorstep.

Viper was the first and then it snowballed from there.

Sinclair was the last to show his face – he had assumed it was because of the man's pride that he hadn't appeared sooner.

Lorne had given him the treatment developed for his Flames – not that he had been waiting for the man to show up, mind you – and had expected him to leave once he side effects dissipated.

As it turned out, Sinclair was the last to leave.

The man encroached on his space for nearly four months before leaving with a promise of return.

Lorne certainly didn't mind but he didn't particularly understand. All he knew was that his house was bereft of life.

Perhaps fortunately, Renato returned exactly 47 days later – he wasn't counting – as promised.

 **….**

Years later, Lorne was adopted by the local hooligans when his legs failed him outside of his house and they forced him to accept their help.

The first time they met Renato was, interesting.

Lorne was wheeling himself around the grocery store with Renato trailing behind and doing the actual shopping.

The kid's had bounded up to him from across the store and when they reached him chattered nonstop about their school and what they were doing and about a kid named Kyoya.

He didn't need to turn to know Renato was grinning like a loon.

"Who is he?" Tsuna had asked him quietly at the same time Takeshi walked right up to Renato – he figured Takeshi would eventually be able to look the man in the eye as he was a tall child.

"Who are you?"

"People call me Reborn," Renato was surprisingly patient – not that he had ever known the man to be impatient.

"Like how we have to call Verde-san Verde-san in public," Tsuna had stepped back and craned his neck to look Renato in the eyes.

Renato paused momentarily before nodding his head slowly.

"Are you a scientist too?" Takeshi pried.

"He's a mathematician," Lorne remarked offhandedly. Both kids grimaced at the mention of math causing Renato to chuckle.

"How long have you known ossan?"

"Call me that one more time and I'll roll over your toes, _Take-chan_ ," Lorne hissed. The brat just smiled at him undeterred.

"So?"

"Ah, we used to work together."

"In Italy?" Takeshi questioned, Renato gave him an odd look but nodded.

Tsuna looked at them curiously his gaze darting between them and they could see him coming to a conclusion.

"How long have you been together?" he asked before immediately backtracking, "Not that I mind or that anyone should mind. I mean we're in Kokuyo so _obviously_ no one would care but if you went over to Namimori people would probably stare at you. But not Kyoya or Tetsu or Soga-sama. But other people would. Soga-sama says civilians get weird about those sorts of things…" he trailed off looking sheepish.

Lorne was at a loss as to what to say or do really anything. He could feel his mouth opening and closing and he turned to Renato who looked totally blank if not a bit pale.

They had never actually talked about their relationship or whatever they had. Lorne had never questioned it and Renato had never brought it up so it stayed silent.

Maybe it was odd that in the twenty some odd years they had known each other – and slept with each other and practically lived with each other – Verde had not once asked Renato why he stayed. He knew Renato would never go off with someone outside of their Familgia – at least not since after the curse – and really that only left him and Skull because Aria was definitely not an option.

But Skull was Skull and at lease Lorne could provide intelligent conversation about anything other than cars and motorcycles – which was only as interesting as the only time he had ever driven was a tractor when he was 12 and that ended terribly.

So, he figured at this point that he understood that Renato hung around him for lack of a better option and left it at that.

But with the expression Renato sported at the question, he began to wonder for the first time if what he thought was actually the case – it was a slip hope that he had never wanted to consider.

"Ah…" Renato began, "We've known each other for over 20 years."

Lorne didn't take his eyes off the man.

"Is that how long?" Tsuna asked.

Renato rubbed his face and Lorne caught him glancing at him out of the corner of his eye, "…I suppose."

Lorne felt the air woosh out of his lungs, "What?" he croaked.

Both kids instantly gave him their attention but Renato looked steadfastly forward despite Lorne's shocked gaze.

"I thought… you…. What?" The implications if Renato was serious. Had he unknowingly been with the man since before they were cursed?

"I thought it was obvious," Renato hissed. "I practically live with you and you didn't say anything."

Lorne refused to have the conversation in front of children.

He rolled his chair forward forcing Takeshi to jump back, "Good seeing you brats but we have shopping to finish and you have an errand to run."

The kids looked at each other alarmed before running off with a hasty goodbye.

They were by the bread when Renato brought it up again speaking in Italian as to not be overheard.

"Even before everything, we slept together, we ate meals together. I had your clothes in my closet and you kept your notes on my table. What did you think that meant?" Lorne decided that is Renato was anyone else he would be shouting but as it was he just sounded exasperated.

"I was under the impression –"

"You were under the impression that I just wanted to sleep with you," Renato cut in, "And you never understood why I went after you instead of anyone else because your since of self-worth is so low you can't comprehend that someone might legitimately care about you."

Lorne didn't bother to respond, Renato was right of course and there was no point in arguing the matter with a man who probably knew more about him than he knew about himself.

They managed to checkout before Renato spoke again seemingly more agitated. "Why else would I have followed you across the world?"

Lorne opened his mouth but was not given the chance to speak.

"Let me rephrase that, I would I follow you across the world and _stay with you_?"

There was a slight breeze and Lorne vindictively hoped Renato's legs were cold.

"I don't know," he eventually admitted. " _I don't know."_

"But you've wondered and always come to the same conclusion, haven't you?" He rounded Lorne's chair and looked him directly in the eyes as he spoke.

"Stop psychoanalyzing me, Renato!" he snapped.

Renato didn't stop, "You always came to the conclusion that you were the last resort and that when I found something better, I would leave."

Lorne resisted covering his ears like a child, he did not need this, he _did not._ He averted his eyes looking everywhere but at Renato.

"Look at me," his voice was surprisingly gentle. "Look at me."

Lorne caved but didn't stop himself from glaring. He was glad Renato hadn't crouched down in front of him – he had always hated it when people did that.

"What?" he spat.

"You were wrong. From the beginning it wasn't about convenience or last resorts. I sought you out in the beginning because I was intrigued. You were the only one amongst us that was not directly involved in active violence despite your profession."

Lorne felt his glare wavering.

"I slept with you because I trusted you. I trusted that you in a way that I trust very few. I trusted you because you were the only one who didn't look at me like I was a threat.

"I stayed because you're different from the rest of us, Skull included. I stayed because you engaged me intellectually despite your reluctance. I stayed because you became more important to me than my work."

Lorne blinked several times. "I understand."

Renato just offered him a sad smile and a slight shake of his head, "I hope you will eventually. For now, just try to trust that you're stuck with me."

They returned home in silence and the subject wouldn't be brought up for several more years.


End file.
